A well written News headline can capture the attention of readers and make them want to read your article. Whether you’re writing about a new law or a recent crime, your headline should be clear and concise. The headline should also pique the reader’s curiosity and make them interested in learning more about your topic. If your headline isn’t compelling enough, it will be impossible to draw in a wide audience.
While it’s debated that humans have an attention span shorter than that of a goldfish, you do know that your audience has limited time when browsing the web. This means your news headline is your only chance to catch the eye of a scanning reader and encourage them to click through to learn more about your story.
Headlines distill reality and present a snapshot of what’s to come. The art lies in balancing a few key questions that must be answered: Who, What, When, Where and Why. But even the most carefully crafted news lead can fall flat if it doesn’t engage or connect with readers.
The fidelity of headline-story connections is a major challenge for news outlets today. Many editors let the reporter suggest headlines but space needs and design principles often dictate what ends up being published. Testing different headline versions with audience segments can provide concrete data on which language choices, framing and approaches resonate most with them. That allows for continuous improvement based on real data rather than assumptions.